5 Things You Learn From Friends That Can Help in Your Contracting Business

When you think about starting a business, it’s easy to wonder how you could possibly build the right skills. The good news is that your whole life experience can be a resource to help you succeed. For example, your experiences spending time with friends can help set you up to work well with clients, employees and other contractors. Here’s how.

How to Solve Problems as a Team
Building and maintaining friendships gives you a lot of insight into what you’ll need to solve problems in your contracting business. Even if your business has you as the only employee, you’re still going to need to find ways to collaborate. In many cases, you’ll need to negotiate with clients to find the right solution to the problem. And once you have a few employees or subcontractors, you’ll just be extending those skills. The ability to find common goals, make sure that you’re all on the same page, and ensure that everyone’s needs are met is a crucial part of your long-term business success.

Ways to Overcome Different Communication Styles
You and your friends might have similar preferences for communication, but it’s likely that they don’t match up perfectly. Everyone knows someone who never responds to text messages, just as they know someone who sends about a million of them every day. Communicating with clients isn’t just about using the right language. You also need to choose the correct format. Figuring out how to talk with your friends without generating unnecessary conflict can give you a lot of insight into what your clients may expect.

How to Resolve Conflicts Without Losing Your Cool
When you’re among friends, you may feel much more comfortable getting competitive or expressing your unpopular opinions. But your friends are also more likely to call you out on it. This type of conflict is great in preparing you for your contracting business. When you have a conflict with a client, you must be far more careful in your tone and word choice. As such, you have to find ways to keep your cool, even if you’re not feeling it in the moment. Friendly debates, and even the ones that are not so friendly, provide an excellent source of practice in maintaining your position without steamrolling your opponent.

How to Maintain Good Boundaries
Good friendships are often built on a foundation of mutual respect. Mutual respect requires boundaries. Sometimes, the experiences that you have with friends that are good or not so good can help you to figure out the best way to engage with clients. For example, if you have a friendship that doesn’t have mutual respect or boundaries, you may feel like you are constantly compromising to please the other person. As a business owner, you have to be able to set good boundaries or your clients may run right over you. Learning what works and what doesn’t in your friendships set you up for better success when your income is on the line.

The Value of Commitment
The people that you consider your best friends earn that position by making a commitment to you. You earn that role by doing the same. In business, the ability to make a commitment and stick to it is vital. Without it, your clients can’t trust you and you may not be able to trust them, either. Commitment isn’t always easy, and it’s far better to pick up that lesson outside of a business setting. Learning the value of a commitment, and the responsibilities that you accept by making one, will help you become a better business owner.

You can pick up a lot of business skills from your friends, but you can’t get all of them that way. For expert training in preparation for the contractor licensing exam, visit CSLS today!

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About CSLS

Contractors State License Service (CSLS) is the largest school in California devoted to the Construction professional. For over 23 years, CSLS has helped its students pass the exam to become licensed contractors in the State of California, licensing more students than any other school. From our main offices in Southern California, CSLS operates over 25 locations with full-service support and classrooms. We have grown to this extent by providing quality, professional services. In comparison, this provides 7 times the number of convenient locations than the second largest contractor school. Contractors State License Services is one of the only contractor schools in the state that is run by educators, not lawyers or people mostly interested in the bonding and insurance business. Contractors State License Services formerly operated under the oversight of the State of California's Bureau for Private Post Secondary and Vocational Education. As of January 1 2010, the new Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) came into existence replacing the BPPVE. CSLS now operates under the provisions of the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 (CPPEA), Article 4 Section 94874(f). Our Mission is simple; We can help you pass your California Contractors License Exam. Celebrating our 25th year, CSLS has helped over 120,000 students pass the California contractor licensing exam to become licensed contractors in the State of California. Additionally, we offer complete home study and online contractor’s license programs to help you pass your California contractors license exam. CSLS offers licensing classes for all types of contractor licenses, including General Engineering Contractor, General Building Contractor, Specialty Contractor, Insulation and Acoustical Contractor, Framing and Rough Carpentry Contractor, Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry Contractor, Concrete Contractor, Drywall Contractor, Electrical Contractor, Elevator Contractor, Landscaping Contractor, Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Contractor, and many others. For a complete list of contractor licenses, visit www.MakeMeAContractor.com and tuned for more informative posts.